brief review of whisper of pines: cogar na ngiĂșiseanna
recent haiku collection of janak sapkota whisper of pines: cogar na ngiĂșiseanna was briefly reviewed in frogpond– the journal of haiku society of america volume 35:3 autumn 2012 by Michele Root-Bernstein
“janak Sapkota, born and raised in nepal and currently studying
science and writing haiku in europe, may be relatively unknown
to an american audience, but not for long. he writes in english, rarely reworking his haiku but keeping himself âalert for
haiku snapshots which i simply transform into wordsâ (p. 71).
the result, as this collection (a continuation of a previous book,
full moon) attests, is a fluid, natural, consistently excellent
showcase of talent. according to susumu takiguchi, chairman
of the world haiku club and editor of world haiku review,
sapkotaâs âdistinct sensibility has added to haiku spirit something new the like of which cannot be found among most of
american-led haikuâ (p. 65). that is for readers to discern.
certainly, sapkota speaks from a particular, non-western experience, yet in a voice that many western devotees of the haiku
arts will recognize and appreciate:
long days of rainâ / thegurgle of frogs ripens / the little rice field
on a windy night / the candle in the room / tries to be still
reading a poem out aloud / I pause in the fieldâ / grasshoppers take up the words. “